Grand Rapids Area Carlson Wagonlit Travel Franchisee Returns from National Meeting in Florida
With Confidence in the Vitality in Travel Renewed

Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate Reaffirms Commitment Toward "Working on What Matters Most": Grand Rapids-Area Travelers

Grand Rapids, Minnesota
October 3, 2003

As one of the leading Carlson Wagonlit Travel franchisees in the United States, Laurie Passard has just returned from the 2003 Carlson Wagonlit Travel National Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, September 10-14. Passard’s participation comes at a critical time for the entire travel industry, which has been hard hit by a variety of challenges including the sluggish economy.

However, after joining over 600 top Carlson Wagonlit Travel franchisees, executives and major suppliers of travel in one of the industry's foremost networking and educational events of the year, Passard is reaffirming her commitment toward "working on what matters most:" her customers and their travel needs.

“It is not a coincidence that we are once again feeling bullish on this remarkable and resilient industry, especially given that our meeting centered on the theme of ‘working on what matters most,’” stated Passard. “Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s annual meeting of the nation’s top travel agency owners and managers gave us an opportunity to meet with some of the industry’s leading executives, thus giving us renewed confidence that we have collectively turned the corner. We want to put that renewed spirit to work for our customers, especially since we’ve been given exclusive insights into the latest product and service offerings they can expect.”

"Because of Laurie Passard's status as one of the travel agency industry’s leaders, we were pleased to have her active participation in this vital annual business meeting," stated Roger E. Block, executive vice president of the Minneapolis-based Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate Division. “Thanks to the input of Laurie and her colleagues from around the country, we’re collectively in a much stronger position to meet some of tomorrow’s exciting challenges with innovations and offerings that will be appreciated by our customers.”

As a participant in the 2003 Carlson Wagonlit Travel National Meeting, Passard took advantage of a wide-range of education and training programs, an extensive travel supplier trade show and countless opportunities to share vital best practice information with her colleagues from throughout the United States.

For information about how Carlson Wagonlit Travel can help plan your dream vacation, call
1-800-762-7958 or visit the Carlson Wagonlit Travel location at:

2820 S Hwy 169
Grand Rapids, MN

Carlson Wagonlit Travel has served the community since 1979 and are members of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and Cruise Line International Association.